"Seven weeks to go."

There was no response, but by this point Rogue was used to that. This was, apparently, not the first time Sting shut down completely. He was still furious with Lucy for not telling him that this was how Sting responded to his going missing previously. He'd seen Sting upset before, but never had he known his lover to so completely shut down. It seemed unnatural, to see someone who was usually so bright and energetic act so… dead inside.

Sting did what he was told, to an extent. He ignored Rogue's suggestions to smile, but if you grabbed his arms and pulled, he wouldn't resist, so he could be made to sit up in bed that way. Then he wouldn't fight you if you put his braces on for him and lifted him into his wheelchair. He would still whimper when you pushed it—retreating within himself didn't stop Sting from experiencing any motion sickness—so Rogue didn't usually wheel him anywhere. Once he had Sting sitting up, he would pull up a chair next to him and get him to eat. Some days, Sting could be persuaded to hold the plate and fork and eat for himself. Others, Rogue had to place the food in Sting's mouth.

At no point did Lector ever leave Sting's side. Rogue tried to keep him company during the morning and evening, but he had to leave in the middle of the day to help at the guild, where he fielded questions about Sting's condition. Sometimes Frosch followed him to work. Other times he asked her to stay with Sting.

It wasn't an ideal situation to leave Alex in, and she was living with Erza indefinitely, with both her and Kiseki going to Bisca and Alzack when Erza needed to work. Eerza brought both children with her to guild whenever she wasn't working, and Alex was allowed to toddle into the back rooms with Rogue and watch her mommy work. Sometimes, for the sake of doing something with her, Rogue would give her a few papers or a cup of tea that someone had ordered, and let her help him carry things here and there. The rest of the guild found it precious when Alex helped bring their orders. Rogue found it frustrating that he couldn't spend time with her outside of work. Sting, who hardly saw her at all, had nothing to say for the situation.

Rogue kept suggesting baby names too, sometimes throwing in absolutely terrible ones just to see if Sting might call him on it. James and John. Jeremiah and Jebediah. Aaron and Erin. Elias and Elliot. Conner and Collin. He started looking for themes at some point. Aki and Haru. Hikari and Yami. The only one that got a reaction was Yue and Sol.

"Maybe," Sting mumbled.

"You like that one?"

No response.

"Well, that's what I'm going to call them, then."

And he did keep calling them that. As the twins grew Rogue was able to determine where their heads were—asking Sting for permission to feel his stomach first and taking silence as a yes—and decided that the one who was lower down could be Yue, so whichever of the twins had that name could be born first.

There was probably going to be a squabble about that later on, when Sting was back to his old self and paid enough attention to realize that Rogue had decided to make the twin who's name theme more referenced him the older one. Rogue maintained hope that Sting would be back to his old self, and longingly looked forward to that squabble.

For as completely as Sting had shut everything out the past few weeks, Rogue dreaded that the return of the Sting he knew was still weeks away. That his Sting wouldn't be there again until after the twins were born and Alex was home and someone could heal the injuries that had turned the whole pregnancy from tolerable to miserable.

So it came as a heart stopping surprise to him when he came back from purchasing groceries one evening and Sting was gone.

He didn't notice immediately. Sting's scent was everywhere in the apartment, and he'd been so quiet as of late that Rogue made nothing of the silence. Even Lector had long ago given up on trying to coax Sting into conversation, after all. He turned on a burner and started preparing a curry for dinner before deciding to go and warn Sting that tonight was going to be a night to eat at the table, and thus a night to be pushed in the wheelchair.

For a second, he didn't believe it when he stepped into the bedroom and saw neither the chair nor Sting. Then he momentarily forgot that Sting was still technically capable of getting up and moving himself around and worried that his poor, pregnant love had been abducted. Finally, when he noticed that Lector was gone as well and there was no note urging him to hurry and help, he concluded that, most likely, Sting had defied his expectations and decided to get up and go somewhere.

When the initial shock at this wore off, Rogue abandoned the dinner and headed out, calling for Sting's name. The was, obnoxiously, still no response. He ended up going by scent, and tracked Sting a mere block and a half in the opposite direction of the guild.

Sting was backed up against a wall when Rogue found him, sitting with his face buried in his hands and ignoring the occasional concerned question of a passer-byer. Lector, who sat of Sting's shoulder, deflected those questions with excuses of Sting being tired.

Rogue waited a moment to see if Sting might notice him, and didn't take it personally when Sting didn't react to his hovering nearby. After all, Sting hadn't reacted to him for almost a month now. He gave it a minute, then sat down on the street in front of him and spoke.

"Hey."

Slowly, Sting lifted his face from his hands. His eyes were red and puffy, and watered when he registered what he was looking at.

"How are you feeling?"

"I hate this," Sting croaked.

"I've noticed." He'd also noticed that telling Sting it wasn't the worst thing ever wasn't productive, so Rogue instead followed that with, "Is there anything I can do?"

"Alex," Sting said. "I want to see Alex. Is she still with Erza?"

Rogue nodded. "It's getting late for her. She'll be in bed by the time we get there. I can ask Erza to bring her over tomorrow, or you could meet her in the guild."

Sting didn't respond, but he at least averted his gaze, which was some manner of indication that he'd heard Rogue.

"Were you on your way to see her?"

Sting nodded.

"Ah. I'm jealous. But it's good that someone was able to get you moving. We can see her tomorrow, Sting. I promise."

Sting nodded again, eyes dropping too his lap. "I hate this."

"I know."

"I can't do anything. I can't protect you. I can't look after Alex. I'm such a load I'm even keeping you from looking after Alex."

He wouldn't, if he could get out of bed and eat and wash himself without Rogue having to physically drag him through the motions, but Rogue had enough sense not to say that. Or at least not to be so blunt about it.

"You've had it rough. Don't beat yourself up over it. At my worst I didn't feel like I had it in me to look after Frosch without support. Things will pick up. That you came here to look for her is enough to make me think she might be back before her brothers are born."

Sting didn't look up. Didn't even try to fake a smile. Rogue hoped he didn't work out that 'at my worst' was immediately after Sting had kicked him out when he learned he was pregnant. He'd tried his hardest to be vague for that one.

Lector gestured, silently, for them to go home. Rogue nodded, but before doing anything else, leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Sting.

Sting stiffened, waiting for Rogue to say something else. More false comfort and platitudes. Rogue, however, said nothing, offering only his embrace for comfort.

After a full minute passed and Rogue hadn't let go, Sting found himself relaxing into his lover's arms and, eventually, wrapping his own around Rogue.

"I'm sorry," Sting mumbled.

Still holding him tight, Rogue said, "You shouldn't be."